The Smile of You
by Lywinis
Summary: [Spoilers for GS1's ending, as well as Case 2 2 and 2 4.] Maya returns to Kurain Village to complete her training, leaving behind the one true friend she had. She waits anxiously to one day see his smile again... [Fluff, two shot with epilogue. Complete.]
1. Maya

The Smile of You

A Phoenix Wright fanfiction by Lywinis

The train clacked on in the setting sun, the fading light lining the petite teenage girl by the window in an orange glow. It caught and played on the sparkling trails of tears that traced down her cheeks, as she looked out the window with a small smile on her face. Maya Fey hadn't realized how hard it was for her to leave one of the closest friends she had ever known. There was her sister, and the other village children, but Mia was gone now, and the other people who had grown up with her looked at her with something like awe now that she was slated to become the next heir to the Fey family's legacy.

Her hands twisted around a small plastic bag. As the material bunched and crumpled in her slender fingers, the words "DL – 6" could be made out in blocky, black marker letters. The weight of the small, misshapen bullet rested in her palm, and she thought again of the train station, and Nick.

* * *

"I could get in serious trouble for doing this," he had said, pressing the small packet into her hand. She remembered him, standing there, that confident smile on his face as he grinned at her, waiting for her to realize what it meant. 

"A bullet…?" she asked, staring down at the bag and its cryptic coding in confusion. It had slowly dawned on her, but she let Nick explain it. She wasn't slow, by any means, but she liked it when Nick explained things. He made them simple and easy for even a layman to understand. And he liked explaining things pertaining to his job. He enjoyed it immensely when his help was required.

"Von Karma was convinced he had taken all of the evidence pertaining to DL-6, but you were the one who rescued the last piece of evidence we needed! This was the bullet that put an end to von Karma, and you were the one who gave it to me!" he said, his hand warm on her own. She could see that he was stretching, trying to convince her, but she didn't think it was the way he said it was. Still, she hadn't the heart to shoot him down, not with the way his eyes were looking at her. He had never looked at her that way.

"Nick…" She took the bag containing the bullet, tucking it into a fold of her robes. She could already feel her eyes stinging as she sniffled. He couldn't be serious. He really thought she had saved him! Along with the stinging in her eyes, a new emotion welled up, tightening in her chest and making her warm all over.

"Thanks, Maya. I couldn't have done it without you." He hadn't lost the grin he was wearing. If nothing else, it had grown wider when she had taken the bag. He lingered, his hand at the back of his head, worrying the hair there, as if he were unsure what to do. She looked at her feet, and then stiffened her resolve.

"I'll be back soon."

"Huh?" He looked shocked, like someone had dealt him a blow to the solar plexus.

"I'm going to complete my training and come back!" she said, her hands tightening with resolution. She looked at him, and se knew that if he asked her to stay right then, she would have. She would have helped him in any way possible, because he was her friend, and he needed her. She finally knew that. She thought he knew it too, by the look on his face. Confusion, then resignation swept his features, and for a terrible moment, she thought he was angry. Then he smiled, his cheerful face breaking into his familiar pleased expression.

"Okay. I'll be waiting." He had taken her hand again, his eyes alight with confidence in her, and she had felt that warm feeling in her chest spread to every part of her body. She was sure it would come leaking out of her fingers and toes if she didn't leave soon.

"Of course you will. You can't run that office by yourself! You're hopeless!" she said, teasing him gently.

"Uh, I don't know about that…" He was still smiling, though, and that was what mattered.

"So…bye."

"Bye."

_Thank you, Nick._ She had whispered it, getting drowned out by the tones of the PA system and the bustling crowd, but she knew he heard her, somehow.

* * *

She rolled the bag over in her hand, inspecting the lettering. Had she really been that much help to Nick? She wondered, trying to recall the jarring moments when Manfred von Karma had hit them with his stun gun in the evidence room. She remembered reaching out to stop him from getting to Nick, and snagging something small and plastic wrapped. After that, she had given it to Nick and forgotten it. Had it really been the crucial piece of evidence they'd needed? She wondered.

* * *

Nick hadn't written, but she had news of him from Detective Gumshoe, who had charged into Kurain village in a huff, demanding the DL – 6 bullet back. She'd given it over, reluctantly, but she was cheered up when Gumshoe had told her about Nick's string of victories. She knew he was working hard, then. Gumshoe declined to stay for supper, even though he looked like his pay had been docked severely lately. She bid him goodbye, a plan working its way through her mind in a warm ribbon of that hope that bubbled just beneath the surface. 

That warm feeling refused to leave her. She still had that hope almost a year later when Dr. Turner Grey paid her a visit. She smiled to herself as the plan resurfaced in the back of her mind. She sent him to bathe in the hot springs and enjoy Kurain's hospitality while she worked out the details of her scheme.

The next day, Dr. Grey had come back, pushing his glasses up his nose and looking irritated as he carried an umbrella. It was a beautiful day, the sun shining brightly on the village, and everyone else looked at each other and the umbrella in confusion. Maya knew the reason he carried it, and it became apparent to everyone else as he tossed the umbrella in the corner violently, snarling something about a weather girl. Morgan, her aunt, had looked particularly offended, but she held her tongue, as she felt it improper to speak since Maya was the true heir to Kurain's power.

"Dr. Grey," Maya said, smiling cheerfully at him as she offered him a place at the table where breakfast was being served. "I hope you've found your accommodations to your liking." In her time at Kurain, she'd been diligent in her studies, and Morgan had been the most adamant teacher she'd ever had, stressing propriety and manners before everything else. When she assumed the mantle of responsibility, she became almost a new person. But her heart still tugged her back to the offices of Wright and Co.

Grey had been muttering under his breath, but assumed a semblance of respect for Maya, eyeing Morgan and her disapproving scowl. He shoved his glasses up the bridge of his nose with the tip of his finger, and nodded. His glasses slipped down again.

"It was fine, very fine. Now, about summoning that spirit, Mimi Miney –" he was cut off by the noise of a clearing throat, sounding from the corner where Morgan sat, helping Pearl with her letters. "I-I mean, Mystic Maya, would you do me the honor of summoning my nurse's spirit?"

Maya nodded slowly, unaware of the glare Morgan shot her when she spoke again. "On one condition. I will only summon Mimi Miney if you bring the lawyer Phoenix Wright to the channeling."

Grey looked baffled. "Where am I going to find this man? It would be like finding a needle in a haystack in that huge city!" He was too angry to note the shocked looks that rippled through the small group of mystics in training.

"Relax, Dr. Grey," Maya said, a genuine smile lighting her features this time. "I know just where you can find him."

* * *

Author's Note: Fluff that grew from a one shot to a two shot, and then evolved into a two shot with an epilogue. I blame the Gyakuten Saiban comm on LJ for gefrierpunkt's adorable drawings. He slapped up Phoenix/Maya, and I had another plotbunny. 

Next chapter teaser: Phoenix's PoV.

Lywinis


	2. Phoenix

The alarm clock set next to the couch in the offices of Wright and Co. went off with a blaring series of beeps, growing louder as they permeated the dreams of the lawyer sleeping there under his suit jacket. He sat up, groaning as his spine crackled in protest, and looked at the time. Punching the snooze button, he lay back down to try and snag a couple more minutes of sleep. He was only mildly irritated that he couldn't seem to do so; it had been this way for a few weeks. 

Sitting up, he thought again of Maya. He found himself doing this more and more over the course of the last year, ever since she had left. His hand strayed to the jacket pocket, feeling the frayed and tattered letter she had left him on that day. He knew the words in there were false, and he had caught up with her at the train station to tell her so. He had seen the look on her face when she had run for the door of the train as it was leaving, and a warm feeling suffused itself into his chest.

He thought he had left that all behind with Dahlia. After all of the betrayal and heartache he had gone through with her, he had sworn off love. Here was a different feeling, but almost like the coiling deep in his belly he got when he was with Dahlia. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head, dusting off the ruminations of half-asleep states.

She was gone, for now. She had said she would be back, and Phoenix found himself wishing that she were back already. He missed her. He knew that if he had asked her to stay at the train station, she would have. He had almost done it, too. He had opened his mouth to say, "Maya, please stay with me, you're not useless, I need you." It had come out as "Okay, I'll be waiting." He had kicked himself until he saw the look in her eyes and the smile on her face.

She had left with that promise held tight to her heart, and he had meant it. He was still waiting for her. She hadn't replied any of the times he knew that Gumshoe was taking one of his letters, but he had seen her face at the train station. He held onto that memory.

His eyes ached from too little sleep; he had been working long hours and sleepless nights to wear himself down enough to sleep. If he didn't, his thoughts spun with questions. What was she doing? How was she faring with her training? Had she grown up any? Had she changed? Would he recognize her?

His thoughts were interrupted this time not by the beeping of the alarm, but by the pounding of a fist on his door. He sat up, looking at the clock. 1:34 p.m. _Well_, he thought, _at least I'm awake enough to turn in the reports to the courthouse later. _Sighing mentally, he stood up and went to answer the pounding on his door.

"Mr. Phoenix Wright?" came the question.

"Y-yes?" He rubbed sleep from his eyes again and let the dripping wet man in. The man turned and extended a hand, only to shake Phoenix's briskly. Phoenix went into the small kitchenette of the office, where he kept spare towels. Handing the man a towel to dry himself off, Phoenix sat back down on the couch and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't believe we've been introduced…?"

"Dr. Turner Grey. Can you believe this weather we're having? That weather girl said we'd have a day of sunshine to break through it today! I distinctly heard her say it! I ought to tell her about the $1500 suit she ruined!" He pushed his glasses back up his nose, as they slid down his nose nearly to the tip.

"Well, it's just the weather…" Phoenix said, nonplussed. He had to wonder what he had gotten himself into now, with this crazy doctor ranting about the weather. He tuned out the rambling for a second, trying to defuzz his thoughts. His ears heard the word "Maya", however, and he snapped to attention.

"Maya?" he interrupted, suddenly hanging onto Grey's every word.

"Yes, she said she would only summon the nurse if you were present! Weren't you listening!?" Grey pushed his glasses up his nose again, irritated. "Don't you want to see her again!?"

Phoenix agreed to go immediately, and made arrangements with the courthouse for a gofer to stop by the office later and pick up the packet of documents for him. Grey was driving out there the very same day, but Phoenix had to run some errands and pack. As he folded his clothes and placed some suits in some hanging bags to keep them free from dust, he realized he was feeling more energy than he had in a long time. He was finally doing something, going to see Maya, and that made it better somehow. He was taking action, and it was making his spirits rise when he thought of seeing Maya again.

* * *

The day he boarded the train, Phoenix couldn't help but whistle as he jogged quickly to the train station. Normally, the defense lawyer ran a little behind when it came to appointments, but this time he showed up early. He was aboard the train while many were still disembarking. Settling down, he looked at the name of the town Grey had written down for him. Kurain village, hmm? He looked at the map that was posted above his seat.

With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he realized how close Maya had actually been. It was close to a two-hour train ride, but it was a lot closer than he thought it had been. He could have actually been there with her more often. He cursed himself for not asking her beforehand. He also realized that Gumshoe tended to get back within the same day, and it clicked even faster. He could have asked Gumshoe, too.

He slumped in his seat, feeling like a total ass. He should have made the effort. He should have offered to go with Gumshoe. Somehow, he could have made an attempt to see her. He was an idiot.

The train rolled merrily through the hilly country and passed by many small villages along the way. Phoenix didn't seem to notice, as he slumped farther in his seat, feeling more and more stupid as the miles rolled past. He wondered if this trip was just a way for Maya to check up on him and then yell at him for not visiting more often. The more he worried, the faster the train seemed to go, until it pulled up at the stop that signaled Kurain Village.

He looked down the road, at Kurain in the distance. Hefting his luggage with a heavy heart, he set off along the dusty country road that would down into the valley and the village itself.

As he neared the end of the path, he saw a little girl standing by a fence of a grand house. She didn't seem to notice his approach until he walked up and knelt beside her. Then she started and stared hard at him, as if trying to scrutinize something about him. He felt nervous, but cleared his throat anyway.

"Hello there…I'm—" he started to say, but as soon as he opened his mouth, she was gone, disappearing into the maze of huts in the village. Baffled, Phoenix stood again, looking around for her.

"Hey, wait, Pearly! Pearly!" came a cry from behind him, and he turned around to see Maya running down the main street of the village. She saw him standing at the edge of the village, and waved frantically. He felt his spirits rise as she ran to him. "Niiick!"

She collided into him with a whump, and threw her arms around his neck. He staggered, dropping his bags, but laughed at her enthusiasm and circled his arms around her. The hug was brief, but heartfelt, and he set her on her feet, drinking in the sight of her. She was a little taller now, having grown into her responsibilities as a spirit medium admirably.

They talked a little, Phoenix mentioning the short distance from the city to here. Maya laughed and waved it off, saying she might have exaggerated a bit. Phoenix felt better about that, at least, but said he wished he had known, or he would have visited more often. Maya shook her head, her face becoming serious.

"No. I'm determined to become the best spirit medium I can, on my own. And then I can be useful to you. And until I complete this summon and achieve that, I couldn't risk seeing you."

"Is that why you didn't reply to my letters?"

"Letters?" She looked confused.

"Yes, every time Detective Gumshoe would come out here, I'd send him with a letter. He said he liked your hospitality, and so he'd come on his day off. I must have sent at least one a month."

"I never got a letter," Maya said, her face scrunching up in thought. "I would have remembered."

_Chalk one up for the forgetful detective Gumshoe, _Phoenix thought dryly. He'd have to figure out what Gumshoe had done with over a year's worth of letters. He sighed.

"Oh, well, I'm sure it's fine," Maya said, returning to her perky self. "I have to get going now, the channeling is about to start. But after, we can grill up some juicy burgers and catch up, okay?"

Phoenix nodded. "I'd like that. Good luck, Maya."

* * *

Author's Note: Woo, two chapters in under a week, what fun! The next chapter will be labeled _Aftermath_, so that's your teaser for this time!

Lywinis


	3. Aftermath

Phoenix slid down the wall of the court lobby, his posture causing his shirt to ride up his back. He didn't care. Maya was safe. He had finally turned deKiller's attention to the fact that Matt was using him and planning on blackmailing him. Engarde had broken down and confessed in court. There wasn't anything left to do but wait for the police to return with Maya. He tipped his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.

Edgeworth was leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed as he surveyed his long time friend and rival. Phoenix looked tired. More tired than Edgeworth had ever seen him. It was a rare thing to not see Phoenix Wright tired, but to the stiff prosecutor, the man slouching against the wall opposite looked positively bone weary. He had given his all in the courtroom to keep Maya safe, and it showed. Edgeworth nodded in silent approval.

"At least she's safe now," Edgeworth said, surprising them both. Phoenix cracked an eyelid and looked at him. The prosecutor was taken aback, like he had intruded on a private moment. Then Phoenix gave a relieved chuckle.

"Yes, I suppose so. That's what it's all about, isn't it, Edgeworth?"

"Mmm. I guess so." He looked at his watch. _They should be returning with Maya soon_, he thought. _I probably should let him brood for once. _But Edgeworth didn't move. He wanted to see the case out to its conclusion. And so he remained, leaning against the doorframe of the lobby, as the young girl, tired and hungry but finally free, was escorted in.

And so it was Miles Edgeworth and Pearl Fey who witnessed the reunion between Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey. Phoenix struggled to rise to his feet, but Maya barreled into him and he sat back down, hard, tears welling in his eyes from pain and thankfulness. Pearl was just happy to see her cousin again, but Edgeworth, with his trained eye, saw Phoenix's eyes light up as she walked in, saw his arms enfold her in a protective embrace, and saw his frame sag from gladness. Again, Edgeworth could feel his head bobbing in approval. He could see.

Franziska burst into the lobby, ignoring the tearful reunion and marching straight up to Phoenix. Edgeworth, still an observer at this point, saw her eyes narrow at the sight of Phoenix holding Maya tightly. He sucked in his breath, waiting for the explosion, and he was not disappointed. Still, he had to wonder later what had caused the outburst.

"Mr. Phoenix Wright! What foolishness is this that you can allow yourself to celebrate and revel in defeat? Your perfect win record has been crushed! And yet…you are still happy?!"

Edgeworth stepped in. He knew his sister, and letting her rant would make things worse. His tenor voice cut smoothly through the small German girl's tirade, effectively silencing her.

"That's enough, Franziska. Wright has his reasons, as do I, for celebrating this 'loss'. For my own personal victories...and for guilty verdicts... I used every dirty trick in the book. And so my win record remained spotless. But... A man appeared and stood fast against that selfish me. I fought him in my usual manner, and tasted my first defeat. I felt like I had lost everything because of that. And then... It was my turn to sit in the defendant's chair. And I was saved...by that person I called my 'enemy'. I couldn't forgive myself for all that had happened. So I left the Prosecutor's Office. And I left that note. 'Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth chooses death'..." he took a deep breath, preparing to go on, but Franziska cut him off again.

"Hmph, as well you should have. A prosecutor who has shamed himself with defeat should crawl into a hole and die!"

Edgeworth raised a hand for silence. The whip-wielding prosecutor obeyed, surprisingly enough. "But that was not what happened. After I left the Prosecutor's Office, I finally came to realize something. And it was in that moment of clarity that everything began to change."

"Wh-what foolish nonsense…" Franziska spat. Her voice trembled.

Miles continued, undaunted. "We prosecutors use anything we can to attack the defendant. But every time we did so... No matter how desperate the situation, instead of giving up like most people, that man would hold strong with his undying faith. And then, before I knew it... I began to trust in that man as well."

"Wh-what?! You trusted your enemy!?" Franziska went from nervous to horrified.

"It doesn't matter how many underhanded tricks a person uses, the truth will always find a way to make itself known. The only thing we can do is to fight with the knowledge we hold and everything we have. Erasing the paradoxes one by one -- it's never easy -- we claw and scratch for every inch. But we will always eventually reach that one single truth. This I promise you." The stern prosecutor looked at his adopted sister, trying to impress this on her mind as firmly as her father had pressed his lessons so early on in her life.

Little Pearl finally spoke. Her small voice seemed to make Franziska stiffen even more as she took all of it in. "The 'truth'…?"

"Yes. That's the reason why prosecutors and defense lawyers exist. But I'm sure you knew that already, didn't you, Wright?" He finally turned to Phoenix, acknowledging him. Phoenix was silent for a moment, regarding Edgeworth with a cool, level stare. Miles felt something inside him shake at that stare. That stare was a look from a much older man, perhaps the man that this young lawyer would become one day. He forced the thought from his mind and continued speaking. "That's why you couldn't forgive me; this man who went into hiding. Isn't that right? This man who only had his sights set on "victory", who ran away into the night."

Phoenix held Edgeworth's eyes for just a moment longer, and then he nodded slowly. "When you disappeared, I felt betrayed. The reason I decided to become a lawyer to begin with was because I believed in the things you said to me, all those years ago. And you -- you betrayed your own words. That's why, one year ago, I made up my mind. I decided that the Miles Edgeworth I knew had died. At least, that's what I told myself."

Edgeworth nodded slowly. Fair enough.

Franziska, however, wasn't satisfied with that answer. "You pathetic fool! I don't want to hear the wretched whimpering of a disgraced loser! A von Karma is someone who is destined to be perfect! Miles Edgeworth…you are no longer worthy! You are no longer worthy of being a von Karma! And neither am I! It's over. It's all over!" Snatching the whip from her waist, she heaved it as hard as she could at Phoenix, storming out of the defendant's lobby. Phoenix's reaction time had improved from all the punishment she'd dealt out in court, and his hand snapped up and caught the whip before it could hit either him or Maya.

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow at him, and the defense lawyer just shrugged. Without a word, he handed the whip to his rival, who tucked it in his pocket. Gumshoe burst in on the scene, and was offering to buy everyone dinner left and right. The celebration lasted well into the night, although a certain prosecutor caught a cab to the airport much earlier than that.

* * *

The festivities had finally died down a little bit. Larry had gone home with his new flavor of the month, and Gumshoe was sprawled across the couch of the Wright and Co. law offices. His snores cut through the low hum of the Steel Samurai marathon that played on TV, and his chest rose and fell with the sound of his breathing. His hand rested on the back of a little girl, who had fallen asleep on his chest after such a stressful court case. She, too, was sleeping deeply, her face smudged with dried tears. 

Phoenix knew how they felt. He was tired all the way to his bones. Still the warmth of the girl – no, the young woman – who dozed at his side was the most comforting weight he had ever felt, even if she had fallen asleep with her elbow digging into his ribs. He shifted a little, trying to get comfortable without waking her, and she stirred, crying out softly in her sleep.

He froze, and she turned her face towards his chest, curling closer and removing the offending elbow. He raised an arm to accommodate her, and she snuggled closer to his side, continuing with her dreams. His lips brushed across the part in her hair near her forehead, and he allowed himself to relax against the couch where Gumshoe snored peacefully. Turning his attention to the TV, he settled in to watch the end of the Steel Samurai marathon as the sun began to rise over the city.

If this was what a loss felt like, he could live with it.

* * *

Franziska von Karma sat in the business class seat, toying with the small card she had found in the pocket of Gumshoe's coat. The small doodle was a source of frustration for her. She flipped the card through her fingers, making it spin and dance on her knuckles. 

Damn Phoenix Wright. Damn Miles Edgeworth. She mulled over what they had to say, as much as she hated it. Everything that was nurtured in her by her father cried out, and she systematically ripped those pieces out when she saw the logic in what the two lawyers were trying to say. The card flashed faster and faster until she finally banged it down on the tray table with extreme violence, startling a passing stewardess.

"Very well, Mr. Phoenix Wright…" she muttered, finally admitting defeat, "I will face you again someday, and I will win, on your terms." She bowed her head as the last piece of her that cried out for a perfect record was sheared away.

She placed her hands on either side of her – the occupants of said seats had vacated them out of fear for her whip – and her gloved hands brushed against two objects. One was a familiar leather grip, worn into a comfortable position by hours of practice. The other was a packet of papers she had found in Gumshoe's jacket, tied together in a clumsy bundle. They were envelopes, bound together with a piece of baling twine.

She undid the knot and sifted through them. All bore the same neat but uninteresting scrawl that marked most of her briefs as of late. She knew who wrote them, and she knew by the single word jotted on every envelope in the stack who they were written for. She could feel a small hitch in her throat as she picked up the first envelope in the stack and slit it open. She read through a year's worth of letters, and as the plane soared into the airspace above her native Germany, she bowed her head again and admitted defeat for the second time that day.

As a single tear rolled down the prodigy's cheek, she admitted defeat not to a lawyer, but to a spirit medium, for obtaining what she could not.

The End

* * *

Author's Note: Apologies for any mistakes. I'm kind of unhappy with this ending, but it's nice enough since I'm dead dog tired, my teeth are aching in the right side of my face, and I'm popping aspirin like candy. I can't sleep, so I drummed out the last chapter here. My beta is also currently napping, and I don't want to disturb **gefrierpunkt** to beta this, so here you go. (Note: I fudged with JFA's ending just a little bit, but it works well for the story. I am aware of that, at least.) Also, a note to Pearl: STOP STEALING THE SCENE! YOU HAVE YOUR OWN FIC, KTHX.

See you next time,  
Lywinis


End file.
